Protecting Youth at Work Health, Safety, and Development of Working Children and Adolescents in the United States (1998) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 17-30
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From page 17... ...
Some amount of work in high school has been shown in some studies to be associated with increased self-esteem, independence, and higher levels of employment and income in the years following high school. The general view that good work experience is part of growing up and that work serves youth well is probably true.
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From page 18... ...
. For many years the United States has judged it important to protect youth against bad work experiences by restricting both the types of work permitted and the hours that young people of different ages can work.
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From page 19... ...
Politically, the United States is in the midst of a strong antiregulatory period that has generated calls for reducing current regulations that deal with child labor. In the face of these competing social tensions, this study objectively looks at what is known about the work done by children and adolescents and the consequences of that work for their physical, emotional, and social health; their well-being; and their educational attainment.
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From page 20... ...
With respect to the consequences of child labor, the committee understands the term health in a broad sense, encompassing not only physical health and well-being, but also social, psychological, and educational health and well-being. A, Thus, this report examines not only physical injuries or illnesses that result from working, but also the effects, both positive and negative, that various types and amounts of work may have on such things as educational attainment, self-esteem, independence, and interaction with peers.
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From page 21... ...
The passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FESA) included restrictions on child labor intended to protect "young workers from employment that might interfere with their educational opportunities or be detrimental to their health and well-being." For the first time, federal limitations were placed on the types of nonagricultural work permitted for children and adolescents under the age of 18.
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From page 22... ...
Vocational education emerged as a way of teaching young people knowledge and skills for employment in specific fields. However, as jobs have changed at an accelerating rate and as more jobs have required a deeper understanding of fundamental processes of why as well as how a new emphasis on enhancing academic learning has emerged among vocational educators (Parnell, 1985~.
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From page 23... ...
This potential benefit of work experience has not been established empirically, but accounts of workers with minimal education successfully coping with complex phenomena suggest that it does exist (ScriLner, 1984~. From the school side, classroom reflection about work experiences can also open broad issues traditionally addressed in social studies and literature courses.
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From page 24... ...
. to furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm ...." Today, debate is most frequently centered on defining "recognized" hazard and "serious physical harm," with employers generally arguing for narrow interpretations and workers arguing for broad ones.
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From page 25... ...
Whether the money young people earn goes toward helping pay family bills or toward their own needs, income, rather than the work experience, itself, seems the main motivating factor. Greenberger and Steinberg (1986)
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From page 26... ...
first started a job because my parents thought it would teach me responsibility. High school student, Youth panel for the committee INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT The discussion of child labor in America is taking place at a time of intense debate over the legitimacy of child labor throughout the global economy.
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From page 27... ...
In countries such as Germany, for example, young people enter apprenticeships that are closely linked to their education and that lead to specific adult jobs. German apprenticeship is formally structured, with a contract that specifies the rights and obligations of the employer and the apprentice and a curriculum that specifies the opportunities for learning that the firm will provide and the knowledge and skills that the apprentice must acquire.
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From page 28... ...
THIS STUDY AND REPORT At the request of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine organized a study on the health and safety implications of child labor. The study was asked to: · synthesize the relevant research on the positive and negative consequences of child labor in both agricultural and nonagricultural settings; · characterize the conditions under which adverse consequences are most likely to occur, and the extent to which children and youth are exposed to these conditions, including pesticides and other tox~ns;
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From page 29... ...
The committee met four times between February 1997 and December 1997 to discuss data availability and research findings, identify critical issues, analyze the data and issues, seek additional information on specific concerns, formulate conclusions and recommendations, and refine this report. At two of these meetings, invited guests spoke to the committee about various data and issues pertinent to child labor and about relevant research findings.
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From page 30... ...
A thorough review of the issues involved in schoofto-work transition would require a report unto itself (see, for example, National Research Council, 1994~; the committee confined its review primarily to health and safety issues involved in the recent school-to-work programs instituted under the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act. Chapter 7 presents the committee's recommendations.
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